Route 143 flooding may prompt Wood River to pursue solutions

Water overtook the roadway on Illinois Route 143 between Illinois Route 255, seen here in the distance, as well as the Wood River Shop ‘n Save location after heavy rains in late December. The road was only recently reopened on Jan. 9.

Nathan Grimm | The Telegraph

WOOD RIVER — The roadway is now clear, but the standing water just off the shoulder of Illinois Route 143 serves as a reminder of last month’s historic flood.

It also may serve as a catalyst for change. After flooding from incessant rain caused the portion of Illinois Route 143 between Illinois Route 255 and the Wood River Shop ‘n Save store to be closed for more than two weeks, City Manager Jim Schneider said Monday that the city has had recent discussions about ways to prevent the road from flooding again in the future.

“We are going to talk to some people about the possibility of a retention area out that way,” Schneider said. “There could be a couple ways — we could purchase some land from a private owner out there and possibly put in a retention area. We could also talk with (Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery formerly ConocoPhillips).

“But it’s a long process.”

It’s not uncommon for the Phillips 66-owned land south of Illinois Route 143 to accumulate water after heavy rainfall, but the most recent rain event saw approximately 10 inches of rain fall on the area over a three-day period, leaving the roadway covered from Dec. 28 until Jan. 9. The road was one of the last in the region to be opened due to flooding.

“The issue with that area is, there is no outlet for that system,” Wood River Public Services Director Steve Palen said. “Water just goes and fills up that area and a big area behind (Phillips 66) in that field, and it just has nowhere to go. There’s not a ditch, there’s not a pump, there’s nothing. It literally has no outlet.”

As it is, the water is left to slowly soak into the ground, evaporate or run into a small lake behind the refinery. If the city were to pursue a retention pond in that area, pumps would move the water to a nearby creek, Schneider said.

Any project would be “quite costly,” according to Schneider, including the acquisition of property, digging a basin and installing pumps. The city could turn to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for help in undertaking such a project, but IDOT engineer Joe Monroe said it’s no guarantee the department would be able to chip in.

“We’ll obviously look at it, but it’d have to compete for funds against everything else in the state,” Monroe said.

With less precipitation in recent weeks — and, in last week’s case, the precipitation coming in the form of snow, not rain — Schneider said the city’s retention basin on 14th Street is in better shape, lessening the urgency to find a solution ahead of spring rains. Even so, with the flooding still fresh in everyone’s mind, he said the discussion could come up again in the near future.

“It’s not something that’s on our forefront,” Schneider said of more flooding. “We think (the water) will go down. But yeah, we would like to alleviate that problem out there.”

Reach reporter Nathan Grimm at 618-208-6451 or on Twitter @GrimmTelegraph.

Water overtook the roadway on Illinois Route 143 between Illinois Route 255, seen here in the distance, as well as the Wood River Shop ‘n Save location after heavy rains in late December. The road was only recently reopened on Jan. 9.

http://thetelegraph.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_WRflooding.jpgWater overtook the roadway on Illinois Route 143 between Illinois Route 255, seen here in the distance, as well as the Wood River Shop ‘n Save location after heavy rains in late December. The road was only recently reopened on Jan. 9. Nathan Grimm | The Telegraph

Reach reporter Nathan Grimm at 618-208-6451 or on Twitter @GrimmTelegraph.